


helping out a friend

by bloomsoftly



Series: K I S S I N G [14]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Matchmaker Natasha Romanov, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 08:39:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11688051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloomsoftly/pseuds/bloomsoftly
Summary: Natasha won't stop trying to set Steve up--with every eligible woman in Stark Tower. Naturally, he turns to Darcy for help.





	helping out a friend

**Author's Note:**

> this was written from a kiss prompt on Tumblr, but developed into a thing of its own. I thought it deserved its own spotlight.

The first time Steve brought her coffee, Darcy had no idea what the hell was going on. He showed up right around the end of the traditional workday, when everyone but she and Jane had already gone home.

At the slight hiss of the opening door, Darcy glanced up—and stared in confusion. There stood Captain Rogers—Steve, he’d insisted the few times she’d seen him around the tower—dressed in casual clothing. Or at least, as casual as Steve got. “Tony’s lab is that way,” she reminded him kindly, gesturing vaguely with her highlighter. “Although based on his mood today, you might get blown up if you go try to talk to him.”

She looked back down at her paperwork, but there was no swooshing sound to accompany his exit. After a moment, he cleared his throat. Startled, she jerked her head up and blinked owlishly behind her glasses. She shook herself a little, but couldn’t figure out why he was still standing there.

Rubbing the back of his neck with a free hand, Steve tried again. “I brought you coffee.” With a quick look at Jane, he clarified, “I brought you _both_ coffee.” Sure enough, he was balancing a tray with three coffees in his spare hand.  

Darcy could practically feel Jane’s stare burning a hole into the back of her head. “Okay,” she said slowly, pushing away from her desk to stand. “Come on over, take a seat.” He did, but not before handing them the drinks he’d brought.

She took a suspicious sip, and—yep, somehow he’d figured out her usual order. Once he’d pulled up a chair next to her desk, she quirked an eyebrow at him over the rim of the cup. “So, what’s the bribe for?”

His cheeks flushed a little—it shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was, really—and he opened his mouth to deny it. After a split second, he shut it and shrugged, unrepentant. Leaning back in the chair, he gave her his most charming grin. Having never been on the receiving end before, Darcy was not prepared for the full effect of that smile. She felt a little dumbstruck, to be honest.

When she caught up again, he was speaking. “So now Natasha is trying to set me up on dates practically every time she sees me,” he finished, looking at her pleadingly.

“Ahh,” was all she said. “You need a refuge.”

Steve shrugged a little and did a see-saw motion with his hand. “Kind of,” he said. “I’m not interested in—the way she’s going about this.” And really, Darcy could only imagine. The Black Widow was terrifying when she wanted something. “And you’re easy to talk to.” He shrugged again, like that was all there was to it. And maybe it was.

She looked at him for a second, then offered a shrug of her own. “Alright.” Picking up some paperwork, she put it down between them. “What do you know about astrophysics?”

A glimmer of mischief entered his eyes, and a corner of his mouth raised into a tiny smirk. “Not nearly enough,” he declared, smiling into her eyes.

 

* * *

 

From then on, he brought coffee to the lab several times a week. At first, he showed up in the morning or at the end of the day, always with treats for her and Jane. He’d sit and listen to them work for a while, moving heavy machinery or providing comedic relief when they needed it. Some days he had a particularly hunted look in his eyes, and Darcy knew that those were when Natasha had tried to set him up with someone.

They never said anything about it, and when Steve started to visit them at lunch, and then sometimes at dinner, and Jane and Darcy just quietly made space for him in their daily routine. He showed up once or twice in the middle of the night, when Darcy was at the end of her rope but couldn’t make Jane go to bed, just to keep her company. He brought ice cream or coffee, depending on how bad it was, and stayed with her until the sun came up.

Sometimes, Steve looked at her so softly, like he was memorizing the shape of her face or the curve of her smile, and Darcy would have to look away. She knew it was wishful thinking, knew that she was superimposing her own wishes and hopes over his expression.

But she didn’t send him away. And when he sat nearby, close enough to read her notes over her shoulder, she would helplessly inhale the smell of him and the warmth of his body. Her heart beat so erratically she felt like everyone could hear it. But still she didn’t send him away.

 

* * *

 

On a random Wednesday, Darcy discovered that Natasha’s Black Widow smile was even creepier in person. She was perched on the edge of Darcy’s desk, staring at her.

“Can I help you?” Darcy finally asked, wondering if the other woman was going to eat her alive for ruining her fun with Steve. But Natasha didn’t say anything in reply. She tilted her head and hummed noncommittally.

Eventually, Darcy rolled her eyes and turned back to her work. Every instinct was screaming for her not to turn her back on the predator sitting less than three feet away. But seriously, she had a deadline for this research and didn’t have time for cryptic stare-downs. Not even with the Black Widow.

After a couple of long, tense moments, Natasha breathed a huff of soft laughter and stood up.  “I get it now,” was all she said. And then she was gone.

Jane’s stare burned into the back of her head, and Darcy met her eyes in bewilderment. “What the hell was that?” her friend whispered furiously.

Darcy shrugged and turned back around. She didn’t have time today to unravel the mysteries of superheroes.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Steve showed up empty-handed. He looked more uncomfortable than she’d ever seen him—save for that first day—and Jane stood up abruptly. “I’ll go get coffee,” she declared, rushing out of the room. Darcy stared after her in shock, then turned to Steve.

“I’ve never seen her abandon her work so quickly,” she joked, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere. He didn’t look up, and she sighed. “Steve, what’s wrong?’

Abruptly, he looked up and smiled. He walked over to her desk and sat on the edge. It was almost the exact same spot that Natasha had claimed the day before, and she stifled a laugh. “Nat told me she came to see you,” he finally said.

“Yeah. She just stared at me. It was really weird.” Darcy rifled through the loose leaf papers spread across her desk, hunting for the data Jane had asked her to enter into the database.

“Did she say anything else?” Steve’s tone was cautious and quiet, and she looked up at him immediately. He wasn’t usually so careful around her, and the change had her worried.

She thought hard on his words, trying to understand— _oh_. A pang of disappointment lanced through her chest, but her tone was even when she replied, “Oh, Steve. She didn’t try to matchmake, if that’s what you’re worried about. Not that I’d do that to you, anyway,” she promised, patting his hand and moving away.

He snagged her hand between both of his, holding on to prevent her from stepping away. “What do you mean?” he asked in confusion. His stare was heavy on hers, his gaze warm and piercing.

She looked away. “You come here because it’s safe. I wouldn’t—wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable, Steve. I’m not gonna hit on you.”

Releasing a noisy breath, he tilted her chin up with two fingers. Waiting until she made eye contact, he finally whispered, “I wish you would. I’ve been trying for weeks, but you never seemed to get the message.” A self-deprecating grin pulled at one corner of his mouth, and her eyes studied the curve of it. Memorizing it, wondering what it would feel like against her mouth.

She had no words to offer except disbelief, so she didn’t say anything at all. Instead, she reached up to pull his face down to hers. Their mouths met, and it was soft, tender, sincere. A careful exploration of the way they felt about each other, feelings made to be cherished and protected.

And then his hand was smoothing her hair behind her ear. A calloused fingertip brushed against the sensitive skin there, and her mouth opened on a gasp. He swallowed it, sliding his tongue in to stroke and tease along hers. They clutched at each other desperately, pressing as close as possible until Steve finally picked her up and deposited her on her desk. He pressed a flurry of kisses all over her face, along her jaw, down her neck.

Darcy’s hands came up to grip his shoulders, holding on for dear life as her head fell back. Steve licked and nibbled the smooth skin of her throat, and her hands came up to grip his hair. She moaned his name, eliciting a groan in response. He began to slide down her body, and her eyes fluttered closed. Only to pop open a second later.

“Jane,” Darcy gasped, making Steve huff a frustrated breath against her neck. “She’ll be back—with coffee. Any minute.”

He groaned, the vibrations of it sending waves of pleasure down her spine, and stepped away. Raking a shaky hand through his hair, he closed his eyes and said, “You’re right. Now isn’t the time for this.”

She moved to climb down from the desk. Steve’s eyes popped open at her movement, and he reached out to stroke a finger along her wrist. “Later? After you finish work? I want—” he swallowed quickly, still trying to catch his breath, “I want us to figure this out.”

Her smile could’ve lit up the whole room. “It’s a date,” she promised.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to know what you think!


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